Written Answers Wednesday 19 July 2006

Scottish Executive

Agriculture

Alex Fergusson (Galloway and Upper Nithsdale) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide figures in respect of the change in sheep numbers in (a) very fragile and (b) fragile areas under the Less Favoured Areas Scheme from (i) 1995 to 2000 and (ii) 2000 to 2005, broken down by SEERAD area office.

Ross Finnie: The following tables provide information from the June Agricultural Census on the change in sheep numbers, for holdings in Less Favoured Areas, by SEERAD area office.

  

 Very Fragile Areas


SEERAD
Area Office
Total Sheep Numbers
 Change in Total Sheep Numbers


 
 1995
 2000
 2005
 1995 to 2000
 2000 to 2005


 Ayr
 69,809
 67,823
 56,021
 -1,986
 -11,802


 Benbecula
 92,279
 93,012
 76,344
 733
 -16,668


 Inverness
 5,332
 6,580
 6,797
 1,248
 217


 Kirkwall
 144,696
 149,715
 150,847
 5,019
 1,132


 Lerwick
 397,378
 399,740
 343,407
 2,362
 -56,333


 Oban
 182,213
 185,759
 161,558
 3,546
 -24,201


 Portree
 192,044
 191,937
 156,852
 -107
 -35,085


 Stornoway
 205,255
 206,300
 163,105
 1,045
 -43,195


 Total
 1,289,006
 1,300,866
 1,114,931
 11,860
 -185,935



  

 Fragile Areas


SEERAD
Area Office
Total Sheep Numbers
 Change in Total Sheep Numbers


 
 1995
 2000
 2005
 1995 to 2000
 2000 to 2005


 Ayr
 48,325
 45,713
 24,462
 -2,612
 -21,251


 Elgin
 148,596
 147,650
 144,909
 -946
 -2,741


 Grampian
 40,881
 24,953
 28,212
 -15,928
 3,259


 Inverness
 531,392
 481,794
 408,326
 -49,598
 -73,468


 Lairg
 182,240
 179,082
 154,577
 -3,158
 -24,505


 Oban
 486,255
 449,441
 387,462
 -36,814
 -61,979


 Thurso
 321,115
 307,116
 280,241
 -13,999
 -26,875


 Total
 1,758,804
 1,635,749
 1,428,189
 -123,055
 -207,560

Agriculture

Alex Fergusson (Galloway and Upper Nithsdale) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many hectares of hill land are no longer being grazed by sheep, broken down by SEERAD area office, and what the comparative figures were for (a) 1990 and (b) 2000.

Ross Finnie: Specific information on hill land is not available.

  Information is available from the June Agricultural Census on the area of Rough Grazing land, which is defined as: "Mountain, Hill, Moor, Deer Forest situated within the farming unit."

  The following table shows the area (in 000 ha) of rough grazing land, on holdings that also reported having sheep on the June Agricultural Census, by SEERAD area office. By considering changes in these areas, we can produce an estimate of how much rough grazing land is no longer being grazed by sheep.

  

SEERAD
Area Office
Area of Rough Grazing (000 ha)
on holdings with sheep
 Area of Rough Grazing (000ha) 
no longer being grazed by sheep


 
 1990
 2000
 2005
 1990 to 2000
 2000 to 2005


 Ayr
 161
 138
 125
 23
 13


 Benbecula
 14
 10
 8
 4
 2


 Dumfries
 174
 143
 130
 31
 13


 Elgin
 29
 22
 22
 7
 0


 Galashiels
 214
 190
 178
 24
 12


 Grampian
 103
 58
 54
 45
 4


 Hamilton
 71
 65
 64
 6
 1


 Inverness
 640
 454
 433
 186
 21


 Kirkwall
 22
 23
 22
 1
 1


 Lairg
 172
 115
 95
 57
 20


 Lerwick
 54
 54
 50
 0
 4


 Oban
 427
 329
 324
 98
 5


 Perth
 523
 417
 388
 106
 29


 Portree
 51
 51
 45
 0
 6


 Stornoway
 16
 11
 11
 5
 0


 Thurso
 168
 118
 99
 50
 19


 Scotland
 2,839
 2,198
 2,047
 641
 151



  Notes :

  1. These results only relate to "sole right" rough grazing land, as comparable information is not available for "common" rough grazing land. However, little change is expected in the area of "common" rough grazing land being grazed by sheep since 1990.

  2. In producing these estimates, an assumption is made that sheep on a holding have grazing access to all the rough grazing land on that holding.

  3. Some of the reduction in rough grazing land on holdings with sheep is due to this land no longer being reported as rough grazing or no longer being reported as agricultural land.

  4. No account has been taken of other livestock which may be grazing on the land.

Agriculture

Murray Tosh (West of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how much Single Farm Payment it anticipates will have been made to claimants in respect of "naked acres", once all payments for 2005-06 have been made; of this, how much will have been in respect of claimants domiciled (a) in Scotland, (b) in the rest of the United Kingdom and (c) overseas; what estimate it has made of payments in the same categories for 2006-07, and whether it has made any assessment of the impact on land values of payments in respect of "naked acres".

Ross Finnie: I am sorry but I am not able to answer that part of the question dealing with "naked acres", which I understand to mean land rented from a third party for the sole purpose of claiming the Single Farm Payment. Farmers are required to declare all the land they farm, not simply land supported by subsidy. In addition, the practice of renting ground in a seasonal basis, where land parcels are taken each year, but can be in different locations and of different sizes from year-to-year, is a traditional feature of Scottish farming. SEERAD’s land record system, however, does not track ownership of land or rental arrangements.

  On that part of the question regarding the domiciliary arrangements of Single Farm Payment beneficiaries, the numbers for the 2005 scheme, in total, as at 6 July are as follows:-

  

 Farm Businesses with a 
Correspondence Address in:-
 Number
 Materiality
 Value of Payments
 Materiality


 - Scotland
 20,439
 99.60%
£387,383,394
 99.51%


 - Rest of the United Kingdom
 74
 0.36%
£1,552,733
 0.40%


 - Overseas
 8
 0.04%
£358,833
 0.09%


 Totals
 20,521
 100.00%
£389,294,960
 100.00%



  Given the nature of the Single Farm Payment Scheme, I would expect the above distribution to be repeated under the 2006 scheme.

  Finally, SEERAD has not conducted any empirical study of the impact of the Single Farm Payment Scheme in total on land values. Anecdotal evidence in 2005 from agricultural markets (the traditional marketplace for seasonal grazings) suggested that there were no significant changes in rental values in that year.

Asylum Seekers

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has made to the Home Office in relation to the reinstatement of the concession that allowed asylum seekers to apply for permission to work.

Malcolm Chisholm: The Scottish Executive has discussions with Home Office colleagues on a regular basis and raise with them a number of issues including immigration policy and its impact on Scotland. During these discussions the concern within Scotland over the removal of the right to work for asylum seekers and the calls for this to be reinstated have been brought to their attention.

Planning

Irene Oldfather (Cunninghame South) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many planning applications from Ayrshire for the erection of mobile telephone masts have been successful following appeal to the Scottish Ministers in the last year, broken down by local authority area.

Malcolm Chisholm: Since 1 July 2005, there have been three appeals allowed for the erection of mobile telephone masts in Ayrshire. All three were in East Ayrshire.

Planning

Irene Oldfather (Cunninghame South) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many appeals it has received from Ayrshire in relation to planning applications for the erection of mobile telephone masts in the last year, broken down by local authority area.

Malcolm Chisholm: There have been no appeals, in relation to the erection of mobile telephone masts, received from the administrative area of any of the local authorities in Ayrshire since 1 July 2005.